Thanks Free To Be Kids for the recent addition to their t-shirt line: Free Spirit horse and Unicorns Rule Bro shirts. What’s the big deal? Because clothes designed for boys have little diversity when it comes to animals. If you like sharks or dinosaurs, you’re in luck. Occasionally, you can find bugs, a lizard, a bear, or a dog — but horses, unicorns, cats, bunnies and the like are hard to find.
I’ll say it for the billionth time — it matters. It matters that we assign everything a gender (colors, animals, fabric type, etc) and that while girls are increasingly encouraged to embrace whatever they choose, on a societal level boys are still expected to adhere to their narrow role. I’m not the only mom concerned by this. Check out these moms who made alternative clothing ads:
These moms express: “Like the majority of retailers, H&M separates children’s goods by gender, culling your interests before you’re old enough to realize you’ve been had: Girls get shiny, saucy, glittery stuff. Boys get aspirational, action-oriented stuff in all shades of bland. Why can’t boys enjoy a sequined star? Why can’t girls want to be astronauts?
For no good reason, that’s why.”
Another time moms took action into their own hands with impactful results….
Petaluma moms curating an education for social justice:
“Shift, a monthly subscription service that provides two picture books, a discussion guide, and conversation prompts to make social justice topics more accessible for young families by using language and imagery that children understand.”
Because Diversity in Children’s Books Matters. Also check out my post Books for Littles.
Whether it’s diversity in books, clothes, or toys, thanks to all the parents working to dismantle narrow gender roles and undo the harm they cause.
whatsaboymom 